Six Swedish players will compete at the World Para Table Tennis Championships in Pattaya from 13 to 19 November, with coach Robert Svanberg targeting a return to the medals.
Sweden’s squad comprises Cajsa Stadler, Anja Händén, Isak Nyholm, David Olsson, Sam Gustafsson and Emil Andersson. The team is travelling to Thailand on 9 and 10 November, according to the Swedish Table Tennis Association.
Sweden left the previous world championships in Granada in 2022 without a medal. Svanberg believes the players’ greater experience now gives them opportunities to progress further.
Sweden’s six players
Players are grouped according to how their impairment affects their ability to play. Classes 1–5 are for wheelchair players, while classes 6–10 are for standing players with physical impairments. Sweden’s six players compete across five classes.
| Player | Class |
|---|---|
| Cajsa Stadler | Women’s class 6 |
| Anja Händén | Women’s class 10 |
| Isak Nyholm | Men’s class 5 |
| David Olsson | Men’s class 5 |
| Sam Gustafsson | Men’s class 7 |
| Emil Andersson | Men’s class 8 |
The championships also feature a class for players with intellectual impairments. Medals are contested in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.
Sweden also enters three doubles partnerships: Händén and Gustafsson, Stadler and Andersson, and Gustafsson and Andersson. Doubles events open the tournament.
Final preparations completed
The Swedish players’ preparations have included a world championship training camp and Stockholm Para Games. Some also played at Ängby International and in the Bundesliga.
In the association’s announcement on 9 November, Svanberg said the players were healthy and free from injury. With the physical and technical preparations completed, the remaining days would focus on mental readiness.
The team arrives after a mixed record at recent major championships. Sweden won no medals at the Paris 2024 Paralympics but reached six quarter-finals. It then claimed six medals at the 2025 European Championships in Helsingborg.
Pattaya now provides the next opportunity to turn that progress into world championship medals. The event also forms part of the International Table Tennis Federation’s centenary year.
Sources: Swedish Table Tennis Association, Swedish para national team, ITTF – para table tennis
